


Before Time

by Transformersfan123



Category: 9 (2009)
Genre: Gen, Marijuana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 01:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13353834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Transformersfan123/pseuds/Transformersfan123
Summary: Five had known him since before the world ended. He had known them, too, but they didn't remember. All they knew was being together in the wreckage of the world. The Before Time, as they called it, won't leave Five alone. Because of Nine, he couldn't just forget. But how is he to tell his friends about how the came together...because of at least partial insanity? Stand Alone! AU!





	1. High

The cold was numbing as they walked through the wreckage of the world. Five was leading the way, his green eye picking out landmarks. He finally stopped, kneeling down to crawl into a hole. One followed and was suddenly hit with a blast of warmth. He crawled faster, ushering his followers in, who all lunged for the fireplace. They were all shaking. Eight noticed the smell first after ten minutes, inhaling deeply.

"I s-smell steak."

"Not likely," Seven sighed, stripping off her cloak.

"You can shower if you want," Five said, coming in with wet hair, bare feet, and only pants.

They ran for the bathroom. Five watched them then went into the kitchen, going to drain the enormous pot of potatoes.

"Are you regretting letting them in yet?"

_~I could ask the same of you.~_ Nine replied, sliding over a huge chunk of butter, which Five put in the pot.

"They…don't know yet. I want to smoke already." Five looked defeated.

_~It is Two's attitude that is the problem. There's nothing wrong with getting high every once in a while.~_

"Well, they're starving. How long on the steak?"

_~Coming off cooked to order in five minutes.~_ Nine replied. _~Get the plates out.~_

The plates were heaped with food by the time One and the others walked in. Their eyes lingered on the stranger with Five for only a moment before they lunged for the food, eating greedily. Nine began on the dishes. One swallowed the last bite of potatoes then focused on him.

"Five. Explain."

"This is Joshua Wallace," Five said, his voice small as he picked at the bone that was in his steak. "He's a good friend. He's the one I spend all my away time with."

Two frowned at the boy. "You're the one who steals Five away from us."

"No, Two, that's not how it is…" Five trailed off as he was looked at, blushing.

"That's the way I see it."

"I…"

Nine turned to grab Five's hand, smiling at him. Five pulled away and left, eye on the floor. Nine frowned, rolling his eyes before turning back to the dishes. The others all stared at him.

"So this is your place?" Eight asked, the words light, the tone threatening.

A silent nod. One snorted. "Thank you for the meal. Is there a place for us to sleep?"

Nine led them to a hallway. One room was a bathroom while seven were bedrooms. Nine stood in front of one while the others got their choice.

"Thank you. Good night."

Nine turned and slipped into the room to smell the sweet scent of high. He puffed with Five until they fell asleep. Five woke up starving. He bathed to get the smell of smoke from his hair and skin then changed into a fresh pair of pants before going into the kitchen. Nine was there, cooking big, fluffy waffles. Five snagged a cherry, humming happily.

"The others should be up anytime," he said after snagging a sticky, goo covered strawberry. Nine slapped him.

_~Stop it! They'll be ready in three minutes.~_

Five stuck his tongue out before he'd swallowed. Nine's shoulder's shook in laughter and he picked up a blueberry and did the same thing. Five nearly choked as tears slipped down his cheek, Nine turning back to cook.

"Is something wrong, Five?" One asked from the doorway.

After a terrible coughing fit, during which Two joined his leader in the doorway, Five straightened with red cheeks and turned to help Nine, muttering that he was fine.

_~You need to talk to them. It's like you have no fun around them.~_ Nine said gently.

_~They wouldn't listen. They never do.~_ Five replied sadly.

They all ate silently, seven of them analyzing Nine, Nine glancing worriedly at Five, and Five…Five was miserably staring at the table. Nine was irritated. None of the others seemed to realize how hurt Five was! But he couldn't say anything without permission. So they ate in silence.

Five helped clear the dishes as the others began looking around. When they were out of the room, Nine gently placed Five's hand on his back, and Five smiled. It was a gesture that meant Nine trusted him deeply. Five stroked the ridged flesh lightly.

"I love you, too, Nine. I love you so much. Now let's get these dishes done."

One watched the display with pursed lips. So there was something about this Joshua's back. He also noticed how Five called him Nine without his permission. He went to report his findings to Two, who looked thoughtful.

"I don't know about his back, but Five shouldn't call him Nine. We all have to agree on that."

"Agreed. We must discuss this with him."

They informed everybody else, who were all upset, then stood waiting in the living room for the two boys. They came out, and Five froze.

"Is something wrong?"

"I overheard you calling him Nine," One said immediately. "You know we must all agree."

"Huh? But I don't call him Nine because he's in our group."

"Then why do you call him Nine?" Two asked, crossing his arms.

"He's got a…tattoo of a nine on his back. So I call him Nine."

"Couldn't you call him Josh or something?"

"No. Only Angelique could call him Josh. He makes everybody else call him Joshua unless you can find another nickname for him, which I did."

One pursed his lips and narrowed his red eyes. "Very well. We shall call you Nine. But you better not think that entitles you to be in our group."

Nine shrugged then went to go sit on the couch, staring into the warm fire. Seven snorted.

"He's a bit odd."

"He's neat," Five said with a smile then went to join him. Two snagged One as the others went to explore again. His blue eyes were troubled.

"Do you smell that?" Two asked softly.

"Smell what?"

"…Never mind. I must be imagining it."

One's expression softened. "Two, he wouldn't do that. He knows how you feel."

"Besides you, I would bet any of them would try it," Two grumbled.

"Five loves you too much to do it. Now, come. I hear Six calling for us."

Five glanced at Nine when they were gone. "I do love him, you know."

_~I know.~_

"I just…it helps me forget that they don't want me anymore."

_~I know. You don't need to excuse yourself. I give you your stock, for crying out loud. And you're wrong. They do want you. They just forget to remember you.~_

"Ha! _Home Alone 2,_ right?" Five asked, eye gleaming.

Nine nodded, wrapping an arm around Five. _~They love you, Daniel. I promise they do. And even if you don't tell them your problems, it will come out.~_

There was a pause. "They don't even remember their own names, Joshua. They don't remember their lives, what they call the Before Time. They hardly remember society. They don't remember where we all ended up. They sorta remember Thomas and Jasper, but not by those names. And you've told me all of that. We operate on different planes. Until they remember, I don't think…I don't belong."

_~I remember. I never really forgot like you did.~_

"And I remembered as soon as I saw you again. I love ya, Joshua. Angelique would be pleased that you're still alive."

That brought tears to the golden eyes. _~You know how much that means to me.~_

"I do. Come on. Let's watch a movie."


	2. Nobody

"How could you do this to me?!" Two shrieked, shaking the pipe at Five, who was coming down off of a major high, and was rather pissy from it.

"I could ask the same to you."

"What?" Two looked confused and let his friend's arm go.

"Aw, don't bullshit me."

"Five," One said warningly. He blinked in surprise as a very angry green eye landed on him.

"Oh ho, Mr. Perfect wants to bitch and moan at me 'cuz of my language. But _he_ can cuss like a drunken sailor and nobody gets onto him."

"I…I don't do it excessively," One said uncomfortably.

"Oh, but nobody else is allowed to do it at all. Except for Two, because he's your second. And Three and Four when they fight. And Six when he has his fits. And Seven, because she's the only girl. And Eight because he's our body guard."

Silence. They had all noticed the one skipped number in that list. One placed his hand on Two's shoulder, who met his eyes. They glanced around and all seven of them agreed. They needed to talk. Immediately.

"Five…" Two started.

"Oh, Five don't act like that," the one-eyed boy mocked suddenly. "You're just the kind of person people like to ignore. Just like your four brothers and two sisters did. Just like your mother did. Just like your father did. Just like your aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, peers, and everybody else in your damn life did. Nobody wants to remember Daniel Evans!" There was a pause then he turned to Nine. "Nobody but Joshua and Angelique Wallace."

"Five…I'm not ignoring you," Two said softly, walking forward. "I love you. You never seem to be around to talk to. You're always away or in your room. You've been acting very antisocial for months. I want to talk to you, but you've been so moody that I'm afraid that I'll get your wrath. You don't have to get high to—"

"This isn't about me getting high!" Five roared. "You need to get off your damn high horse for that! This is not your mommy doing acid! This is not your father doing cocaine! This is not your sister dying from meth! This is so different it's ridiculous! You don't even remember any of this stuff, but you won't let me get high! Get over yourself!"

Five tried to shove by, but Eight caught him at One's gesture.

"We are talking about this, Five," One said firmly.

Five responded with a line of curses so foul that it left even Seven with her jaw on the floor. Nine watched the whole display, and he could finally stand it no longer, permission or no.

_~You must forgive him. All his life, he's been the proverbial middle child. The one nobody remembers. Besides myself and my sister, nobody paid him much mind. Not even after the dog attack.~_

"…Dog attack?" Six asked.

Five sniffled and touched the bronze-colored eyepatch where his left eye should have been. One cradled him, stroking the leather, shushing him as he began to cry. Two embraced his other side, kissing his face gently. Five had never talked about what had happened to his eye and the left side of his face, which bore several scars. Nine sat back and watched. Five needed this. Badly. He needed to reconnect with his friends, and especially his leader and his mentor.

Five took a deep, shaky breath a few minutes later then straightened, shyly looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," One said, wiping his cheek then kissing his head. "You've obviously been holding that in for a while. You shouldn't. Don't you trust us?"

"I just…I don't want to bother you," Five said in a small voice.

"Bother?" Two asked. "Five, you're more important than anything else we do. I am damn sure that even Six would stop drawing if you needed to talk."

"I would. I can always finish drawing after we talk. But if you run away, we can't talk, even though it means I can finish what I'm working on," Six said with a nod.

"Really?"

"Really. Now, do you remember this dog attack?" One asked.

"I know all about the Before Time."

Silence. Five smiled.

"Even about you. But don't blame Nine. You told me about it, One, and Nine just filled in the details."

One pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at Nine. "Oh really? Well, let's talk about that dog attack, if you feel like you can handle it."

"It's…harrowing," Five admitted. "But…you should know…" Five blinked. "Only if Two gets high with me."

Two paled. "No."

"Then we don't need to talk."

"Five…You know how I feel about this," the second of their number muttered weakly.

"I know. But don't you trust me? Would I really be doing it if it was deadly? I get all of my stuff from Nine, and he gives it to me all natural. It _is_ extremely strong, I will admit, but it is _safe_. I've been doing Nine's stuff for…seven years? I promise it won't kill you. Or me. Or anybody."

Two looked at the pipe in his hand then swallowed. "We talk first."

"Promise you'll do it?" Five asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes. I promise to get high with you."

Five smiled. "Good. I'm coming down, so this is going to be harder, but…" He took a deep breath. "Nine and I are old friends. Very old. We met when we were ten. We started hanging out only because I could get the stuff he needed to grow. He split it with me. We became friends quickly, finding our interests overlapped in hundreds of areas. He's as varied as I am. One particular interest that I know Eight will be interested in is…music." There was a grin at the last word as Eight lit up.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah! When we were thirteen, Nine could drop some killer beats! We would sing at every event we could get to have us!" Nine's smile was tight as everybody looked at him. Something…was wrong.

"Did he sing with you?" Six asked keeping his eyes on Nine, who flinched and lightly rubbed his throat.

"Yeah! He had a set of golden pipes, that's for…sure…" Five suddenly went really quiet, tears in his eye. "I'm sorry, Nine."

_~We're talking about_ your _incident, not mine, Five.~_ Nine said, a hollow ring in his voice, which they all noticed was mental, like the twins'.

"I'm sorry," Five repeated.

There was silence until Three and Four dashed over, petting him. _~So Five, what was the point of that?~_ Three asked.

_~Yes, why would you tell us that you would play at parties?~_ Four asked.

Five shivered, touching his eyepatch again. "It was after ten. Nine and I lived on the same block, and we were walking home from a party. We split. Somebody had let out a German Shepherd. Her name was Sweetie." Five's voice hitched, and he closed his eye, tears sliding out. One and Two held him tight. "I don't remember much, but Nine's showed me when I wouldn't leave it alone. She kept biting and clawing at me. Then she…popped my eye. Two seconds later, Nine beat her head in. He didn't stop hitting her until she didn't move. Then he 'borrowed' his sister's car and got me to the hospital. I needed over a hundred stitches in my face alone. My parents didn't care. Nobody did but Nine and Angelique."

"I'm sure that's not true," One said soothingly.

Voices suddenly filled the air.

_"It was your own fault, Daniel, so don't go blaming Sally's dog," a woman said, sounding haughty._

_"But Mom—" Five started, sounding very weak._

_"Don't but your mother! All you do is make mistakes!" a man replied._

_"Maybe because he is one!" came a snide young female._

They all heard a sharp intake as many voices laughed. Not a single voice disputed what the girl said. Not one. His friends were horrified, and One pulled Five over to kiss his eyepatch.

"There is no way that a freak dog attack is your fault," Seven said reproachfully.

Eight pushed through and pulled Five close, holding him tight. It was his way of showing his own strength off, not in a bad way, but that it was available for Five to use, to be protected and loved. It made Five cry again as he embraced the large boy.

"I love ya, Five," Eight said firmly.

"We all do," Seven said, pulling her Bo staff and slamming the end on the ground; that was her way of saying the same thing.

The twins took their turn to kiss and cuddle him then Six kissed his eyepatch. One and Two took ahold of him again.

"You are not a mistake," Two growled. "You are fine the way you are."

Five sniffled and embraced him. One watched Nine.

"So…what exactly is _your_ incident?" he asked lightly.

Nine's face went blank. _~We aren't talking about that. I'm going to go shower.~_

They watched him go. Two frowned.

"How bad is it, Five?"

Five's face held a deep pain that they'd never seen before. "It's worse than my dog attack. A million times over."

"Why?" Seven asked.

Five hesitated. "Because a dog doesn't know what's right and wrong. But a human does." He paused. "I'm going to get something to eat."

He walked out, leaving them murmuring amongst themselves about this strange boy called Nine.


	3. It's Happened Before

Seven screamed, struggling in the man's hands. His lustful leer traced her chest, making her brain scream at her that _it's happened before!_ She began to hyperventilate, her mind screaming for help. A gunshot suddenly rang out as the man lowered his face to her neck. He cried out, stumbling back. Eight punched out the two men holding her, grabbing her and shoving her back. The ten other men frowned, pulling their weapons as the man held his arm. Nine took her hand, covering her bare chest up with his cloak. One's voice reached her panicked mind, and she heard him threatening them. She was led away by Nine and the twins, and she found herself sitting in a bathtub an unknown amount of time later.

One ran in with Two and she was stood and examined thoroughly before she was pulled into her leader's arm. Seven put on a robe, was placed on the couch beside One, and lay there shaking. Nine hesitantly held out a cup of wine. After Two said only one, One grabbed it and let Seven sip it slowly. When it was gone, she screamed and thrashed for a full two minutes before relaxing back, feeling much better.

"Is my little girl okay now?" One asked, stroking her sweaty forehead.

"I…I'm tired."

"Then rest."

They relaxed for ten minutes then One turned to Nine.

"They knew who you were."

 _~Yes.~_ He looked embarrassed, scratching his back as his cheeks flushed.

"They…called you Nine." One was clearly gauging his reaction.

_~That's what I'm known as around here. You guys are the only ones who know my real name.~_

They all were clearly confused. "But…you'd only be called Nine if you were with us…" Eight said slowly.

 _~Not…necessarily…~_ Nine looked uncomfortable. _~I don't want to talk about this anymore. We should be focusing on Seven, not me.~_

One's eyes studied him intently, then Seven shivered and murmured in her sleep. One focused on her immediately, pulling her close.

"You're right. But we are not through discussing this."

Nine turned away, scratching his back again. _~Yes. We are.~_ He whispered then went to his room.


	4. Sick

Nine shivered. He didn't feel well, but he didn't want to tell Two. Five was watching him.

_~Are you alright?~_

_~If I say yes, will you leave me alone?~_

Five took his head in his hands, feeling his forehead with the back of his hand. He frowned immediately.

"Two! Nine's sick!"

_~Don't tell him that!~_ Nine said frantically.

Two appeared in the doorway. "Say what?"

"He's got a fever, relatively high. His face is flushed, eyes dull, I do believe he is shivering, he keeps sniffling, and I heard him throwing up last night."

Two frowned. "Bed. Now."

"Do you have any Tylenol?" Five asked Two.

_~I do. And lots of other things. It's in the bathroom cabinet.~_ Nine said resignedly.

He was snuggled up and One came in. "How sick is he?"

"He's going to get worse. It isn't the flu, but it's bad," Two said with a nod.

"Fluids and bedrest?"

"Of course."

"I will inform the others."

Two days later, Nine was delirious. They found out when the most broken, grating noise they ever heard came from his room. His golden eyes didn't focus on Two. Or anybody else. Not until Five ran in. He shoved Two aside, grabbing his friend.

"Joshua! Joshua, calm down!"

_~They're going to cut me! They're going to cut me open then kill me!~_

"I won't let them! _We_ won't let them!"

"Let them what?" Eight asked.

_~They're cutting me!~_ Nine shrieked, eyes wild. _~It hurts, Daniel! Make 'em stop!~_

One jerked Five back and wrapped his arm around Nine. "I'm here and they won't dare hurt you," he said matter-of-factly. Nine stopped struggling and looked up at him with wonder.

_~They won't?~_

"No," Eight said, cracking his knuckles and walking over to sit on the other side to offer his strength to him. Nine smiled and cuddled close, curling his hand in Eight's shirt. Eight laughed softly. "I won't let them hurt you."

_~But they have knives.~_

"Yeah? Well I have a bigger knife," Seven said, holding out the katana she had just been polishing.

Nine looked at it for a moment then yawned and leaned into One. _~Don't let them hurt me…~_

"I won't…if you're mine."

"One," Five warned.

_~Only if you'll have me. And Angelique, too.~_

One pursed his lips as Five looked panicked. They all knew what that look meant about the living or dead status of the girl. "Of course. How could I take you without her?"

_~Mm, Daniel? When she wakes up, give her that locket we made. She'll like that…~_

"Of course, Joshua. Now you get some sleep," Five said softly.

Two minutes later, Nine was asleep again, latched onto One, who had transferred his grip from Eight. One stared at Nine.

"Who was she?"

Five looked reluctant. "His sister. She died before the bombs dropped."

"Knife attack?" Two asked.

"Ovarian cancer."

That was not anything near what they had thought. They were silent for a minute. One finally shifted.

"We need to bathe him."

"No!" Five gasped.

There was a long pause as the others stared at him.

_~They really did cut him, didn't they?~_ Four asked softly.

"Yes. They did. The scars are…pretty bad."

_~How bad could they be?~_ Three asked.

Five grabbed the cool, wet washcloth that Two had been using on Nine's face and began to wipe at his throat. To everybody's disbelief, makeup began to come off of him. When it was gone, Five stood back and stared at them analytically. There was a massive crisscross of scars that went over Nine's neck. They all realized something that Two voiced in a hoarse whisper.

"They cut his vocal chords."

"Yeah. Irreparable damage," Five said grimly. "He can still make a couple noises, but nothing intelligible. He can't form any words. Not a single one. He's a master of sign language, and he's got our link, which he's hesitant in using because he thinks none of you want to hear from him."

"Nonsense," One said, sounding offended. "He's welcome to use it whenever he wants! Now, let's bathe him."

"Those aren't his worst, One."

There was a lengthy pause before One asked, "Where are his worst?"

"Take his shirt off."

Eight did so, his eyes widening as he leaped backwards, horror in his face. Seven gave a little scream as the twins grabbed at each other, paling. Six swallowed and looked away. One and Two saw it last.

"So that's why you call him Nine," Two said hollowly.

"Those aren't nines. Those are sixes," One said, looking down from Nine's head.

"What?" Six asked.

"Yeah. They are," Five admitted. "But let's not get into that. He needs a bath."


	5. Hospital?

Nine wouldn't look at him. Five sat there beside him, petting his friend's hand.

"They would have found out eventually."

_~I don't want them to pity me.~_

"Pity you?" Five asked in surprise. "They don't even know what happened!"

Nine shrugged as there was a knock on the door. One stood there, his sharp red eyes taking in Nine's upset face.

"I couldn't help but overhear. While we do feel some measure of horror, I wouldn't say we pity you."

Nine looked up, sniffling. One walked over to kiss his forehead. "It's alright. Don't be upset. We would like to look it over, but only when you're ready. Now, we have chicken soup for you. You think you could sit out there with us?"

_~I guess.~_

"Good. Five?"

Nine was soon wrapped in a blanket, sipping on the broth of a chicken soup. The others were conversing around them, eating pasta smothered in red sauce. They were conversing happily. Nine finished first then leaned back, closing his eyes tiredly. One tugged him over to lay on him, and the boy looked up to smile at One, cuddling close.

"There you are," One said, feeling quite pleased as he adjusted Nine's blanket to cover his back completely. That certainly made Nine tear up in appreciation, and he nuzzled his leader's shoulder. He was kissed gently. "I told you that you have to be ready."

_~You don't know how much that means to me.~_

"I can guess. Now, relax. Rest."

Nine was roused ten minutes later so that Two could assess his health.

"Temperature's normal," Two said analytically. "He's alert, keeping down his food, and all around looks better. However, he's still forbidden to be up tomorrow at least. Do you understand, Nine?"

_~Yes, doc.~_

Two flushed at that. "Good. Now, relax."

Nine dozed against One as the others talked. One stroked his newest little Stitchpunk, as he affectionately called his followers. Nine kept trying to get closer.

"He's starved for attention," One said quietly.

"He's lived alone since he got out of the hospital," Five said absently.

"Hospital?" One asked, looking up. _There was an all white room. He saw his little Stitchpunks sitting around the room, jovially playing with different objects. Objects a psychologist would have to measure function. He turned to see a man with black hair, wincing as his side throbbed painfully. The man patted him._

_"Why don't you go get acquainted with them, David?"_

_"No," One replied stubbornly. "They don't answer to their names. Two thinks his name is Jonathan. Three and Four think their names are Jacob and Joseph! What rubbish!"_

_"Two is a name you came up with for Jonathan," the man said._

_"Shut up, Zero."_

_"My name is Dr. Embry."_

_"No, it's not, Zero. Don't lie."_

"One!" Two shrieked, and One jolted upright, eyes wide. He found himself hyperventilating, and he forced himself to actually breathe. When he had calmed down, he looked at Five.

"What hospital?"

"I…Nothing, One," Five said, looking embarrassed.

One stared at him hard until the subject was changed. That night, One was sitting in his room trying to remember more about that room. He couldn't. He remembered that once upon a time there had been a Zero in their midst, but he had…departed from them? He wasn't dead, but he wasn't with them. That much he knew. There was a knock at the door. One flicked his wrist and the door opened. Nine stood there, shivering in his blanket.

_~I had a nightmare.~_

One patted the bed beside him. "Come here, Nine. Come here."

Nine cuddled close, inhaling his leader's scent. There was a hesitation, and One could sense it.

"Whatever it is, you can say it, Nine," he said gently.

_~I know what you saw earlier.~_

"The white room?" One asked, perking up.

_~The hospital.~_

"What hospital?"

_~The one we were all in before all the bombs went off. The one that your father was making money off of you by putting you in. The one where you became their leader and made them forget their pasts.~_

"Make them forget their…I did that?" One was disturbed.

_~Don't feel too bad. There was a reason they were in a psychology department. The government actually called it an asylum.~_

"We were in…in an asylum?" One was beginning to look very stressed. Nine pet him soothingly.

_~Yeah. But don't think about it too much. If you've begun to remember, you'll remember everything. And once one of you goes, the others will, too. Prepare for screaming fits.~_

One nodded and held Nine until the boy fell asleep. He, too, slowly drifted into an uneasy sleep, afraid of the monsters that awaited on the other side.


	6. Past

_One sat across from Two, frowning at him. Two looked extremely irritated._

_"My name is Jonathan, David."_

_"You are Two."_

_"Jonathan."_

_"Two."_

_Two waved his hand dismissively and One caught his arm, peering at an angry red line on his left wrist._

_"What happened here?"_

_Two looked embarrassed. "I…I got cut."_

_"Who cut you?"_

_"Um…me…" Two said in a small voice._

_"Why?"_

_Two began to tear up so One sat beside him, pulling him close. Two sniffled._

_"I…I just got so tired. My brain hurt so badly. I thought if I cut myself, I would bleed out and then…my brain wouldn't hurt any more."_

_"I see. I can understand your brain hurting. Mine does, too, sometimes. It's a good idea to scream it out. If you ever need me to hold you I will. You're one of my little Stitchpunks, Two."_

_Two looked up at him then convulsed hard, screaming. Zero came running out, a needle in his hand, but he froze when he saw One gingerly holding Two, shushing him._

_"See? Isn't that better?"_

_"Y-yeah," Two said in a small voice. "Thank you…One."_

One shivered as he woke up. Nine was lying on his chest, staring up at him. One began to cry softly.

"Two cut himself! That's what that scar on his wrist is!"

_~Yes.~_

One sobbed. "I made him forget who he was!"

_~Yes.~_

"I'm a terrible person!"

_~Not necessarily.~_

"I…what?"

_~Two didn't like who he was. None of them did. You didn't force them to forget anything. They didn't want to remember. They preferred their lives with you over what they had.~_

"I…I need to talk to Two."

_~Yes. You do.~_

One lightly tapped his staff twice. There was a knock on the door a minute later and a tired-looking Two opened his door, shutting it behind him. He looked sleepy.

"Does Nine have a fever again?" Two asked, walking over to feel Nine's forehead. He frowned. "No. His temperature is normal. Is something wrong?"

One patted the bed gently. Two came around and plopped down, snuggling close. One ever so lightly grabbed Two's left wrist, pulling it over to kiss it. Two spasmed.

"What are you doing?" he asked hoarsely.

"What do you remember of the Before Time?"

Two frowned. One hated talking about the Before Time. But Two wasn't going to complain.

"I remember being extremely unhappy. And trapped. I felt trapped. There was pain on my wrist, and it felt really good. I remember Zero, then you, then the others came in and that's it."

One nodded. "Does your brain ever hurt?"

Two blushed. "After…nightmares. I can't ever remember what happens in them, but I feel like I'm being crushed afterwards, like I can't be myself."

"If you ever need to scream, I'll be here to hold you. You're still one of my little Stitchpunks, Two."

Two stared at him with big, blue eyes then convulsed, shrieking his pain out. One's door flew open half a minute later and everybody rushed in to see a sweating, shaking Two being kissed by One while Nine watched. Five looked at his friend, who nodded once. Five walked over and lightly kissed Two's left wrist. Two smiled and looked up at his protégé.

"You know?"

"More than you remember, most likely," Five said. "Nine needed to talk about his visions. I wasn't prying, I promise."

"I don't mind any of you knowing," Two replied. "But I don't remember very much. Five?"

"Your parents were lawyers. You took courses to be a doctor, Mr. Prodigy, and it pissed them off enough that they berated you to everybody until you switched to law school. You were miserable. You wanted living hearts, not dead papers, and it depressed you that you couldn't win. You eventually sliced your wrist open. Halfway through, you decided you wanted to live and sewed yourself up before you passed out. You were found by a roommate and taken to the hospital. Your parents then quietly sent you to the asylum because they didn't like the funny, distant look in your eyes. They make a thousand a week, you're out of their hair, and they don't have to pay for your college fees anymore."

There was silence from the others as they took that in. Two was shivering with tears in his eyes. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

One tightened his hold, kissing him as he buried his face in his leader's chest. "I know. I know it hurts," he cooed as Two gave a small scream, spasming hard. Two relaxed as Five ran a hand through his hair.

"Easy, Two. Just ride it out. It's the best thing to do."

They all sat in One's room as Two had little fits for four hours. When he sat up, shaking himself out, they knew he would be okay. The smell of burgers had them hurry into the kitchen/dining room to see the table set, half of each of their plates heaped with homemade fries that were still steaming. Nine set the second plate of burgers in the middle of the table. He smiled hesitantly.

_~Food?~_

"Oh, yes," Two said hungrily, taking his seat.

They gorged themselves. When there was nothing left, they settled back, clearly satisfied.

"That was perfect," Two sighed. "Thank you, Nine."

_~Eight would have done better with the burgers, but I did my best.~_

"Pretty damn good, in my opinion," Eight said, nodding with a kind smile to Nine. "I could teach you a thing or two, but I couldn't've done those fries."

"Don't curse, Eight," One said sternly.

"Sorry."

"So what happened?" Seven asked. "I mean, why was Two so upset?"

"I…Apparently Five mentioning the hospital kick-started memories of the Before Time for me. I decided it was prudent to mention to Two what happened to him and why he was at the asylum."

"Asylum?" they asked.

"We were all…No. We will confront this one person at a time," One said firmly. "As you saw with Two, it is very distressing. I don't want to deal with all of you at once. Now, no more questions unless they're about Two's past."


	7. Truth

 

Three and Four's separation and subsequent muteness due to mental trauma was fascinating to all of them. Five relived his past again to answer questions. Then came Six. One woke up with a scream, and his room was filled with everybody in a minute. Six sat there, staring eagerly…until One began to cry.

"I-I don't want to talk about this…" One sobbed.

"What? Why?"

One searched for Nine's eyes, and they were sad. The thin, dark-haired man squeezed his own eyes shut.

"You had an uncle name Kian."

Six blinked, frowning. "Kian?"

One opened his eyes to see everything click. It came out in the most violent fit that any of them had ever seen. Eight actually had to pin Six down until the thrashing had stopped, and he actually had trouble holding him. Six went limp after five long minutes of convulsions. Six was shaking and weak, crying softly, little whimpers coming from his throat. One embraced him, kissing him as tears dripped down his cheeks.

"I know it hurts. I know."

"He won't stop," Six whispered, eyes staring at nothing. "He's pushing in and he won't stop. It hurts so bad. It hurts so very bad. Make him stop. Please?"

"I couldn't stop him back then. I won't let him touch you again," One snarled, holding Six as tight as possible.

"What happened?" Two asked.

"My uncle liked me."

"So?" Eight asked.

"Too much."

There were blank looks. One glared at them. "He raped him."

Outrage flashed in all of their eyes…except for Seven's. She began to hyperventilate, and if Nine hadn't been so quick, she would have hit the floor. Two went for her at a look from One as she began to scream. After her fit, One held them both as everybody crowded on his bed except for Nine, who stood there watching. Eight held Six tight as One and Two held Seven. Three and Four took her hands, kissing them. Five leaned into Six.

"What happened with you?" Six asked their female companion weakly.

"My boyfriend raped me. So I killed him," Seven whispered.

"I killed a bully," Eight said, stroking Six.

"You…remember?" One asked.

"Yeah. I never really forgot. I just kind of pushed it back," the large boy admitted.

"So now we know about everybody," Two said with a smile.

"No. There's one left," Five said, smiling at Nine. "Feel like sharing?"

_~No. I'll go make breakfast.~_

"Hey! Hey, you need to be in here!" Five said, scrambling after his friend. "What's wrong?" he asked in the kitchen.

_~Go be with your family, Daniel.~_

"They're your family, too."

Nine shook his head, green energy forming raw bacon and three dozen eggs. He looked ready to cry. _~I don't belong with you.~_

"I'll tell One you said that."

_~He won't care. He never liked me anyway.~_

Five frowned and hurried off. Nine cooked the eggs to order, and he had just plated breakfast when arms wrapped around him and somebody kissed the back of his head.

"Of course I like you…now that I've gotten to know you," One murmured into his ear.

Nine shrugged, green energy dashing under the plates to set the table. They all watched in interest. While they all possessed the energy, One and Six in particular, they had never seen it used so…casually. One turned Nine to face him, his eyes serious, the boy's insecure.

"I love you, Nine. We all do. We are your family. You belong with us. Do you understand?"

Nine sniffled, shrugging again. One growled, shaking his head as he embraced the boy.

"That is not a satisfactory answer."

The air rippled. _"And you had better stay away from Five, pathetic little mongrel! Go sulk in your corner until your mommy and daddy come to take you back. If that ever happens. They probably don't even want you you. I know we certainly don't!"_

Horror didn't begin to describe the look on One's face. He slowly pulled Nine close, meeting the pleading golden orbs with his teary red ones.

"I…was a fool. Please forgive me and ignore those terrible words."

_~You meant them.~_

"I retract them."

Nine was clearly unsure, looking around at the others. _~I'm wanted? You're not going to ignore me? Call me names? Tell me I deserve to be alone and die?~_

"No. We're not," Two said when One sobbed out the shame on all of their faces.

Nine hesitantly leaned forward, and One squeezed him. The others gathered around, whispering apologies and just holding him. He finally sniffled.

_~We'd better eat.~_

They sat and ate, all rather torn up from the past. Nine took a deep breath.

_~I'm a Christian. One was right. My back is three sixes, not three nines. The Mark of the Beast.~_

They all looked up from their plates. _~Really?~_ The twins asked in surprise.

_~Yes.~_

With that one word, and with no warning, he stood and stripped his shirt off before going into the living room. One was the first to stand and go out to see Nine sitting on the couch hugging a pillow. He walked over.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

_~No. But I never will be.~_

One nodded. "Come here, my little Stitchpunk. Let me see."

Nine stood on shaking legs, inching forward until he was in his leader's arms. One kissed him tenderly then slowly walked around to see the scars. His fingers were light as they traced the largest number, the others joining them to watch. Nine's legs gave way, and One followed him down, holding him lightly as he continued to stroke the mangled flesh. Nine shuddered.

_~I love you, One.~_

"And I love you, my little Stitchpunk," One replied, kissing him gently as he came back around to face him. "Yes, it looks terrible, but that doesn't matter. You're still mine."

_~But am I still God's?~_

The twins shook in laughter, dashing around to touch. _~Of course you are, if you were to begin with.~_ Three said.

 _~What do you mean?~_ Nine asked, turning his head to look at them.

 _~Simple.~_ Four replied. _~The Mark is supposed to be on the back of the right hand or on the forehead, and further research shows that it is a spiritual mark, not physical. Therefore, if you were His before, you still are.~_

Nine began to cry again in relief, and he gladly let One hold him as the others took the time to explore his scars. When their curiosity was sated, he let One help him up.

"Better?" his leader asked.

_~Much.~_

"Good. Now, you relax. I'll do the dishes," One said. "You all keep him company."

Nine wanted to cuddle, and he picked Eight, hesitantly crawling into his lap. Eight blinked his black eyes at him then embraced him. Nine sighed in delight.

"You're very cuddly," Seven said.

 _~Am I not allowed to be?~_ He sounded hesitant.

"Of course you're allowed to be," Two said, mussing his hair.

"Yeah, all things considering," Five laughed.

 _~Mm.~_ Nine pressed close. _~You really don't mind my…scars?~_

"No," Six said, leaning back. "You couldn't help getting them. We're here for you, despite your hesitancy at trusting us. You can talk with us about anything. Anything."

Nine stayed silent until One rejoined them. He waved his hand and a large knife appeared. He handed it to Seven, who looked it over.

"This is a fillet knife."

_~That's pretty much what they wanted to do to me.~_

"This…is what they used?" One asked, taking it from their female companion.

_~Yes.~_

"Who did it?"

Nine blushed, looking down. _~It was a cult who didn't like my Christian talk. They thought if they could make sure I was silenced, they would have an easier time with the demons they were worshipping.~_

Eight tightened his grip to almost painful, kissing Nine's head. "Don't you worry about that."

_~I warned them, but…~_

"Stop. We don't need to talk about demons," One growled. "That is not a good thing to do. It will very clearly upset you. We will discuss this later. Now, what cult was it?"

Nine shrugged, looking upset. _~I didn't study what they believed. I know that they sacrificed animals.~_

"Ugh, ridiculous practice."

 _~Do you think that of the Jews?~_ Three asked.

"No. I don't. God told them to do that," One replied. "That practice went out officially with Jesus, then totally when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. If you sacrifice, it is no longer to God, therefore, it is to something else."

The non-Christians nodded. "Makes sense," Six said thoughtfully.

They turned to lighter topics until Nine fell asleep. They all couldn't help but look at his back. It was horrifying to see. Five curled up close to him. He was there for him. He was always there when he was most needed. And the same was true for Nine. Even if the world was over, they were still there, still struggling through life. Two cleared his throat and Five looked up.

"Yes?"

"I believe I promised you I'd try this," Two said shyly, holding out the pipe he taken when he'd caught Five smoking.

Five brightened, sending the twins for his stash. He paused before he struck the lighter. "Thank you, Two."

"I promised," the man said with a shrug. "Now, show me how to do this properly."

The boy smiled, handing his friend the pipe, then flicked the lighter on, happy that it wasn't just him and Nine anymore.


End file.
